On behalf of the new Wiltshire LDWA committee, I'd like to begin by wishing you all a very Happy New Year. We look forward to walking with as many of you as possible over the next 12 months.

In this month's newsletter:

• Thank you;
• Possible Traffic Disruption;
• Annual General Meeting (AGM);
• Adrian's Lakeland Adventure;
• Pewsey Downsaround (PDA);
• London Trivia #2; and
• Forthcoming Walks

Thank you

From Lesley Bellis:

"Thank you all very much for the amazing send off you gave me from the AGM, the picture of Silbury Hill was so unexpected and was the first picture I put up which I arrived at my new home. Every time I look at it I think of the lovely walks in that area with some very special people. It was an honour and a privilege to be your Chair for 2 years and the support and positive attitude you give to the group is much appreciated not only by me but by other groups that Wiltshire marshal for.

Well, the move went very well and Stanley is settling in well though missing his mousing activities. He wailed a bit (well a lot!) on the journey here but soon started establishing his territory. He isn’t keen on the wind in his fur and as we are one high ground, there is plenty of that.

I walked with Northumbria on Saturday from Corbridge which was lovely and the terrain is more open than Wiltshire and the mud doesn’t stick to your boots! However it started to snow towards the end of the walk and I know this is something I will have to get used to as I think I was the only one concerned about this change in the weather. The drive home was certainly challenging to say the least as it was snowing heavily by time I got back.

I have walked into Durham city a few times, which is beautiful with lots of independent shops and plenty of history.

Thank you again for the stunning picture and all your good wishes. I wish every one of you a very successful 2020 and look forward to seeing you on various events throughout next year."

Possible Traffic Disruption

From Richard Hotchiss:

"Major roadworks are planned for the M4 at Junction 15, to last most of 2020. The motorway itself should be OK but it is worth checking traffic reports for the A346 or A419 if using these roads to drive to a walk, especially on Thursdays. There are plans to prevent non-local traffic driving through Bradbury, Chiseldon and Hodson but they are not finalised and look unworkable."

Annual General Meeting (AGM)

The key points from the recent AGM are as follows:

• Lesley Bellis began by congratulating those members who took part in the Hadrian 100 in Northumberland in May, in particular, Dave Purdy, who completed it. She also thanked those members who had travelled up north to help at the checkpoint, and went above and beyond the call of duty in looking after the competitors in adverse circumstances. Lesley then thanked the committee for their efforts over the year, going onto to thank John Walker for guiding us along the Mid-Wilts Way, Andy Todd for organising and leading the 50-mile group walk, and Adrian Crocker for organising the recent weekend to Shropshire. Phil Heneghan proposed a special vote of thanks to Lesley;
• Graham Instrell was elected Chair and Bruce Barclay was elected Walks Secretary, both unopposed;
• Adrian Crocker's proposed weekend away to the Lake District next October was accepted;
• Andy Todd put forward a very detailed plan with route description and checkpoints, and has begun enlisting volunteers. He is invited to the first meeting of the 2020 committee to take part in further discussions before the committee can approve the proposal;
• John Walker's proposal to organise transport for those group members entered onto the 4th Capital Challenge in April was also accepted; and
• Graham Instrell thanked Andy Todd for agreeing to be our challenge walk organiser and Janette Armstrong for agreeing to be our catering organiser.

Adrian's Lakeland Adventure

Following the success of his Shropshire weekend, Adrian Crocker is proposing that we go to the Lake District next year. The details are as follows:

Pewsey Downsaround (PDA)

Registration for this popular event has opened. For further information, please visit our Pewsey Downsaround 2020 - Information page.

Forthcoming Walks

Finally, here's the usual look ahead to all the group walks and challenge events that are taking place this month within a 50-mile radius of the geographical centre of Wiltshire.

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That's it for another newsletter. All our newsletters are available via the Wiltshire LDWA website. If you have anything to contribute to future editions, please can you get it to me by the 20th of each month. I look forward to seeing you out on our group walks this month.

Warmest regards

Clive

Secretary of the Wiltshire LDWA
WiltshireLDWA@outlook.com